Step-on type waste receptacle unit



Oct. 29, 1957 J. E. PRESS ETAL STEP-0N TYPE WASTE RECEPTACLE UNIT 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 30, 1955 INVENTOR I JOMEPTQSQ .BYflonaZdEBranIiZ, M MM M+%%@ Oct. 29, 1957 J. E. PRESS ETAL 2,811,329

STEP=ON TYPE WASTE RECEPTACLE UNIT Filed June 50. 1 95 5 5 Sheets-Sheet2 14 J6 f lba (biz ZPreas, BY .DanZZdL/Zfimndt Oct. 29, 1957 J. E. PRESSETAL 2,811,329

STEP-0N TYPE WASTE RECEPTACLE UNIT Filed June 30. 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 325 L ZhnAPreaa 190 BY flonald ifirandifi, 1 ,fl/LQ, K-J+ 1A UnitedStates Patent 0,

hwil

STEP-N TYPE WASTE RECEPTACLE UNIT John E. Press, Niles, and Donald R.Brandt, Arlington Heights, 111., assignors to Federal Tool Corporation,Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application June 30, 1955,Serial No. 519,174 Claims. (Cl. 248147) This invention relates to wastereceptacles and more particularly to a sanitary step-on type wastereceptacle unit of highly improved and simplified constructionespecially useful in households, hospitals and the like, wherecleanliness and sanitation are important.

An object of the invention is to provide a step-on type waste receptacleunit of the kind just stated having a con struction such that all of itsparts may be easily molded of relatively inexpensive synthetic organicresin such as polystyrene, the unit being thereby inexpensive to producewhile at the same time being highly resistant to the usual corrosiveeffects of waste which quickly render the ordinary waste receptacleunsightly and almost impossible adequately to clean. Another object ofthe in: vention is to provide a Waste receptacle unit that may be packedand shipped in a disassembled state and may he quickly assembled at itsdestination without the use of tools, the unit being thereafter easilydisassembled or partially disassembled for cleaning and thoroughsterilization, as and when desired. Still another object of theinvention is to provide a waste receptacle unit of the character setforth above comprising an L shaped frame, including a horizontal baseand a column extending upwardly from the rear thereof, the base looselyand freely supporting an open-top Waste container and the column havingmounted thereon a treadle operated cover for closing and opening thecontainer. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a Wastereceptacle of this kind wherein the waste container may be lifted andremoved forwardly or laterally from the base to be emptied, the base andcolumn being fully exposed for cleaning when the waste container hasbeen removed.

Another important object of the invention is the provision in the baseof the receptacle unit of a treadle operated cover controlling leverthat freely rests for pivotal movement upon a pair of sills that are soconstructed and arranged as to bias the lever laterally away from alocking position in which the cover is locked in its open position. Thenovel lever biasing structure tends to prevent inadvertent movement ofthe lever into the locking position and also renders easier the removalof the lever from the locking position to its normal position. The leveroperates an upstanding push-rod for opening and closing the cover forthe waste container, the push-rod being protectively contained withinthe upright column and bearing freely and loosely against the cover.Still another object of the invention is to provide in conjunction withthe push-rod, means for camming the upper portion of the rod forwardlyand rearwardly during closing and opening of the cover, the upper end ofthe pushrod remaining in free contact with the cover and being caused bythe camming means to follow the forward and rearward components ofmovement of the cover during its operation.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will beapparent from the following description of a preferred embodimentthereof, taken with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view-of a waste receptacle unitconstructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the receptacle unit with a substantialportion thereof cut away substantiallyalong. the line 2-2 in Fig. l toshow, in vertical cross-section,

certain primary structural components of the unit including anupstanding column at the rear thereof, a base from which the columnextends, and certain opera-tingparts enclosed within the base and thecolumn;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the base of the unit, with the column shownin horizontal cross-section and with a fragmentary portion of a wastecontainer resting upon the base, a treadle operated lever that isprovided in the base being shown in a locked position;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the central portion of the basetaken substantially along the line 44 in Fig. 2, the treadle operatedlever being illustrated in its normal unlocked position;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken substantially along theline 55 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a similar view taken substantially along the line 66 in Fig.3, showing the lever in its depressed and locked position;

Fig. 7 is a fragmented vertical cross-sectional view taken through thecolumn substantially along the line 77 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken.substantially along the line 8-8 in Fig. 2, showing the means by whichthe treadle operated lever is freely supported in a biased and pivotedmanner in the base; and 3 Fig. 9 .is a fragmentary top plan view, on asimilarly enlarged scale, showing the mounting and biasing means for thelever, the lever having been removed.

As shown in the drawings, the waste receptacle unit of the presentinvention is "comprised of a rigid L-shaped frame including a horizontalbase 11 adapted to rest on the floor or any other horizontal surface,and a column 12 extending upwardly from the rear of the base. The basefreely receives and supports an open-top Waste container 13, and a cover14 is pivotally mounted adjacent the upper end of the column for closingthe container,

' the cover having a closed position resting upon the upper perimeter ofthe container and an open position (shown by. the broken lines in Fig.2) permitting waste to be dropped into the container.

The base 11 is of frame-like construction comprising a centrally locatedsomewhat Y-shaped structure 15 (Fig. 3) extending from the front to therear of the base along the center line thereof. This central structurecomprises a horizontal web 16 which is provided at its forward end withan outward extension 16a and at its rearward end with a rectangularlyshaped extension 16b. If desired, the web 16 may have a triangularlyshaped opening therein, as best seen in Fig. 3, in order to conservematerial- Integrally formed with the web 16 there. are a pair ofupstanding spaced apart walls 17 and 18 which give to the centralstructure 15 a substantially U-shaped vertical cross-section, the rearportion of the walls 17 and 18 being divergent, as seen in Fig. 3,thereby giving to. the structure 15 the somewhat Y-shape previouslymentioned. Integrally joined to the upstanding walls 17 and 18 at theiropposite ends there are a pair of substantially C-shaped upstandingexterior walls 1) andZti which may have their exterior surfacespleasinglyrounded. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the walls 19 and 20 attheir front ends respectively join and extend laterally from theforwardmost portions of the walls 17 and 1S and then curve rearwardlyand then inwardly where their rear ends are joined With and extendlaterally from the rear portions of the Walls 17 and 18. The c-shapedwalls19 and 20 give to the base its outward configuration and theirlower edges are adapted to rest upon the floor or the like. The innersurfaces of the walls 19 and 20 are provided somewhat below their upperedge with an inwardly extending shoulder 21 which pro vides a horizontalring-like surface for receiving and supporting the waste container 13.If desired, the bottom Wall 22 of the waste container may be provided atits corners with downwardly extending ribs 23 (Figs. 2 and 3) which arereceived within the upper portions of the upstanding walls 19 and 20 toprevent the container 13 from being inadvertently displaced from thebase 11, it being understood, however, that the container rests freelyupon the base.

At the rear of the base 11, and integrally formed with the extension 16bof the web 16, there are an upstanding rear wall 24 (Fig. 2) and a pairof upstanding side walls 25 and 26 (Fig. 7). The walls 25 and 26 areintegrally joined along their rear edges with the rear wall 24 and attheir forward edges with the peripheral walls 19 and 20 of the base.These walls 24, 25 and 26 together provide an open-top socket-likestructure for receiving the lower end of the column 12. This column ispreferably U- shaped in horizontal cross-section, having a back wall 27and a pair of side walls 28 and 29 integrally joined thereto (Fig. 3).The lower portion of the rear wall 27 is recessed as shown in Fig. 2 tobe received alongside the Wall 24, and the corresponding lower portionsof the side walls 28 and 29 of the column are similarly recessed as seenin Fig. 7 so as to be slidably received, duringassembly of the unit,downwardly into the socketlike construction provided by the upstandingwalls 24, 25 and 26 that are formed integrally with the horizontalrearward extension 16b of the web 16. The inner surfaces of the walls 25and 26 are provided with overhanging projections 30 which slidablyreceive and lock in place complementary locking members 31 provided onthereon a pair of blocks 41 and 42, as best seen in Figs. 2, 3, 8 and 9.The inner faces of these blocks are provided with downwardly directedopen-top slots 43 and 44 respectively, the bottom 45 of the slot 43being sloped downwardly in the rearward direction and the bottom 46 ofthe slot 44 being sloped in the opposite direction (Fig. 9). Looselyreceived within the slots 43 and 44 and freely resting on the bottomsthereof there is a fulcrum 47 integrally formed transversely on a lever48 which, if desired, may have a T-shaped cross-section, as best seen inFig. 8. The fulcrum 47 preferably is provided with a rounded lower edge49 which rides on the bottoms 45 and 46 of the slots 43 and 44, thesebottoms providing sills for pivotally supporting the lever. The forwardend of the lever 48 extends outwardly through an opening 50 between theadjacent ends of the upstanding walls 19 and 20 at the front of the'base11 (Figs. 1, 5 and 6) and is provided on its outermost end with atreadle 51. The opening 50 is L-shaped in contour/this shape being givento the opening by the provision of a stop extension 52 integrally formedon the end of the wall 20, as best seen in Figs. 5 and 6. The adjacentend of the horizontal flange 21 on the Wall 19 may also be provided witha stop extension 53, thepurpose of which will be presently explained.

The lever 48 is pivotable in a vertical plane or path a on the fulcrum47, as previously explained and, because Thus, when the treadle 51 isdepressed and the outer end the lower portions of the side walls 28 and29 of the upright column.

Adjacent the upper end of the column the rear wall 27 thereof is formedin the manner shown in Fig. 2 to provide a transverse recess 32, and theside walls 28 and 29 of the column adjacent their upper ends areprovided with lateral outwardly extending buttons or bosses 33integrally formed thereon for pivotally receiving the cover 14. Thecover 14 may be of the inverted dish-shape shown'in the drawings and isadapted to be received upon the upper perimeter of the container 13, thelower corners of the cover being provided with downwardly extendingflanges 34 (Fig. 2), if desired, which slidably engage the upperinterior of the container in order to guide the cover into its properposition on the container. If desired, the container may be providedwith handles 35, and the container may be of a character such that itmay be used with the complete waste receptacle unit now being described,or alternately and separately as an ordinary waste basket.

Formed integrally with the cover at the rearthereof there is anextension 36 which projects rearwardly from the cover, the extensionhaving an inverted U-shaped vertical cross-section, as best seen in Fig.7, and being comprised of an upper web 37 and two depending side flanges38 and 39 having openings therein pivotally received upon the bosses 33.At the rearmost end of the extension 36 a downwardly depending wall 40(Fig. 2) is provided integrally with the web 37 and the downwardlyextending side flanges 38 and 39 which is adapted to be received withinthe transverse slot 32 in the back wall 27 of the columnf When the cover14 is raised to its open position, as shown by the broken lines in Fig.2, the lower edge of the Wall 40 bottoms in the slot and acts as a stopto determine the maximum open position of the cover.

The inner faces of the two upstanding walls 17,and 18 of the Y-shapedcentral structure 15 in the base of the present waste receptacle unithave integrally formed of the lever 48 is lowered to the position shownin Fig. 6, slight sidewise pressure on the treadle 51 will rotate thelever horizontally or laterally to a position beneath the stop 52,thereby retaining the outer end of the lever in its lower position. Inthis connection the lowermost edge 54 of the stop 52 is preferablyformed at an angle, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and the upper surface ofthe lever 48 is provided with a slightly upwardly diagonally directedengaging surface 55 adapted to cooperate with the surface 54 of the stop52 positively to retain the lever beneath the stop 52. The slopingbottoms or sills 45 and 46 of the slots in the blocks 41 and 42, on theother hand, bias and tend to cause the lever 48 to rotate in thehorizontal plane away from the stop 52, as will be later explained. 1

The rear or inner end of the lever 48 extends through an opening 56 atthe rear of the base defined by the spaced apart ends of the Walls 19and 20 at that location, and has integrally formed on its extremity anopentop cup-shaped socket 57 located in the hollow base of the column.12. 'This socket loosely receives in balland-socket fashionthe roundedlower end 58a of an upstanding push rod 58 which, if desired, may havean Lshaped cross-section, as shown in the drawings. The rounded upper endSSb of this push-rod freely and loosely engages a downwardly directedconvexly curved surface 59 provided on the lower edge of a centrallydisposed, downwardly directed web 60 formed integrally with thehorizontal web 37 of the rearwardly directed extension 36 of the cover14. Thus, it will be seen that when the treadle 51 on the lever 43 isdepressed, the lever will be pivoted in a vertical path from its normalposition shown in the solid lines in Fig. 2, to the position shown bythe broken lines therein, thereby raising the rod 58 forcefully upwardlyagainst the curved surface 59 of the web 60 to pivot the cover 14 to theopen position illustrated by the broken lines in Fig. 2.

The rod 58 is enclosed in protected position within the hollow interiorof the upstanding column 12 and merely rests in the socket 57.provided'upon the rear extremity .ofthe lever 48. It will be seen fromFig. 2 that in the opening and closing of the cover 14 the cover hasrearward and forward components of movement.

Inasmuch as the upper end of the rod 58 merely loosely engages thecurved undersurface 59 of the Web 60 on the cover, means are providedfor positively camming the upper portion of the lever rearwardly as therod 1s raised and forwardly as the rod is lowered, thereby causing theupper end of the rod positively to follow the rearward and forwardcomponent of movement of the cover to prevent the upper end of the rodfrom becoming disengaged from the downwardly directed curved surface 59.To this end the interior of the hollow column 12 is provided with asubstantially horizontal transverse web 61 having an opening 62 thereinthrough which the rod 58 loosely extends. The forward face of the rodhas an outwardly extending cam member 63 formed integrally thereonhaving a diagonal camming surface 64 adapted slidably to engage theforward edge of the opening 62 when the rod'58 is raised by pivotationof the lever 48, thereby causing the upper portion of the rod tobecammed rearwardly, as shown in Fig. 2, positively to cause the upperextremity of the rod to follow the rearward component of movement of thecover 14 during opening movement of the cover. Similarly, the rear faceof the rod 53 is provided with a cam member 65 integrally formed thereonhaving on its lower edge a diagonal camming surface 66 which engages therear edge of the opening 62 when the rod 58 is lowered, therebypositively camming the rod forwardly to follow the forward component ofmovement of the cover during the return of the cover from its openposition to its closed position. By virtue of this camming means theuppermost extremity of the rod during operation remains at all times incontact with the downwardly directed curved surface 5 of the web 60 onthe rearwardly directed extension 36 of the cover 14 in spite of thefact that the upper extremity of the rod 58 is in no way secured to anypart of the cover.

As previously indicated, all of the component parts of the wastereceptacle unit are so constructed and arranged that they may be formedof any one of a number of moldable synthetic organic resins such aspolystyrene and the like. These resins are very durable and are easilycleaned, thereby rendering the present waste receptacle unit highlysanitary in use and ideally suited for employment in hospitals andkitchens and the like where immaculate cleanliness is desirable.Furthermore, it will be noted that when the cover has been raised to itsupper position the container 13 may be removed upwardly, forwardly orlaterally from the base for emptying and cleaning, the base and thecolumn, as well as the lid, being thereupon completely exposed for easycleaning.

The lever 48 normally occupies the position shown by the solid lines inFigs. 2 and 4, pressure of the foot on the treadle 51 causing the lever48 to be pivoted in a vertical path to the position shown by the brokenlines in Fig. 2, thereby raising the socket 57 on the rearward extremityof the lever and raising the rod 58 to open the cover 14. Due to thefact that the fulcrum 47 is slidable longitudinally to a limited extenton the bottoms or sills 45 and 46 of the slots 43 and 44, the lever mayalso be rotated with respect to the sills in a horizontal plane to thelaterally disposed position illustrated in Fig. 3 when the treadle hasbeen depressed, this position of the lever being its locked positionpreviously described, wherein one edge of the lever having the slopingsurface 55 thereon is moved into locking position beneath the stop 52shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The locking engagement between the lever 48 andthe stop 52 retains the lever in its depressed position, therebyretaining the cover 14 in its open position. If desired, the uppersurface of the treadle 51 may be embossed with an arrow and the wordhold, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, in order to indicate to theoperator the direction in which he may laterally rotate the lever 48 tomove the lever into the locking position to hold the cover 14 in itsopen position. The slope of the bottoms o-r sills 45 and 46 of the slots43 and 44 are such that the lever 48 and the fulcrum 47 are rotativelybiased from the locking or hold position toward the normal position. Inthis connection it will be noted, particularly in Fig. 9, that the sillor bottom 45 of the slot 43 is lower at its righthand end than at itsleft-hand end, and that the sill or bottom 46 of the slot 44 is providedwith a slope in the opposite direction, its right-hand end being higherthan its left-hand end. Thus, when the fulcrum 47 is disposed within theslot the fulcrum and the lever 48, which is integral therewith, tends toslip on the sills 45 and 46 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig.9. This biasing or tendency of the lever 48 to be turned laterally inthe clockwise direction permits easy release of the lever 43 from itslocked position, the slightest sidewise pressure on the treadle 51causing the lever to be disengaged from the stop 52, whereupon theweight of the cover causes the cover to move to its closed position andthe lever 48 to be raised to its normal position shown by the solidlines in Fig. 2. In this normal. position the right-hand edge 48a (Fig.6) of the lever engages ancl rides along the vertical and right-handedge of the opening 50 as viewed in Figs. 5 and 6, this edge being oneend of the upright wall 19 of the base. This same edge of the lever maybe provided with a laterally extending tab 4812 which underlies the stop53 when the lever is in its normal position and engages that stop tolimit the extent of the upward motion of the treadle end of the lever.The biasing of the lever toward the right-hand edge of the opening 50(as viewed in Figs. 5 and 6) tends to retain the lever in its normalvertical path and permits easy pivotation of the lever in the verticalplane while tending to avoid inadvertent movement of the lever into itslocked position.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that every part ofthe present waste receptacle unit may be molded from synthetic organicresin of the character referred to above and that the unit may be packedand shipped in a completely disassembled state with all of the partsstored within the waste container 13 to conserve space, if desired. Whenthe unit has reached its destination it may be quickly set up orassembled entirely without the use of tools. The column 12 is slippeddownwardly into the socket-like formation at the rear of the base wherethe inwardly projecting locking members 30 on the inner surfaces of thewalls 25 and 26 receive the corresponding parts 31 (Fig. 7) of thecolumn to lock the column in place in its upright position. The lever 48is then inserted in its place in the base with the fulcrum 47 freelyresting on the sills 45 and 46 in the slots 43 and 44, and theupstanding push-rod 58 is slipped downwardly through the opening 62 inthe transverse web 61 within the column, the lower end 58a of the rodbeing received in the open-top socket 57 on the inner end of the lever48. The cover 14 is then placed in its pivoted position at the top ofthe column by springing the downwardly directed flanges 38 and 39 (Fig.7) outwardly slightly over the bosses or buttons 33 on the sides of thecolumn, the bosses thereby being snapped intothe openings therefor inthe flanges. The waste container 1.3 may then be placed on the base andthe entire unit is thereupon ready for use. At any time desired, theunit may be disassembled for cleaning and sterilizing by reversing theassembling, steps just explained, it

being noted, however, that the waste container 13 may be removed atanytime merely by lifting it from the base, thereby exposing all of theremaining parts of the unit for cleaning while they are in theirassembled state.

It will be understood that the above described embodiment of theinvention is merely illustrative of the principles and features of theinvention and that alternative embodiments and variations may be readilydevised by 7 i i those skilled in the art without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. A step-on type waste receptacle unit comprising, a base, an open-topwaste container freely resting on said base, a column fixed to said baseat the rear thereof and extending upwardly therefrom adjacent theexterior rear wall of said container, a cover for said containerpivotally mounted on the upper end of said column and movable between aclosed position in contact with the upper perimeter of said containerand an open position permitting waste to be dropped into said container,a downwardly directed convexly curved surface on said cover intermediatethe pivotal connection of said cover to said column and the rear of saidcontainer, 8. treadle operated lever mounted on said base for pivotalmovement in a vertical plane, one end of said lever extending rearwardlywith respect to said container and having an open, cupshaped, upwardlydirected socket thereon, and an upstanding rod having its lower endresting freely in said socket in ball-and-socket fashion and its upperend in free engagement with said downwardly directed convexly curvedsurface, said lever being pivotable to raise said socket and therebylift said rod forcefully upwardly against said surface on said cover tomove said cover from its closed position to its open position, saidcontainer being readily removable upwardly, forwardly and laterally fromsaid base when said cover is in said open position, said socket, saidcover, said convexly curved surface and said rod being so constructedand arranged as to cause said surface to disengage said upper end ofsaid rod and to permit said rod to be freely lifted from engagement withsaid socket when said cover has been moved manually toward and beyondits said open position, thereby permitting ready removal of said rodfrom said waste receptacle unit.

2. A step-on type waste receptacle unit comprising, a base, an open-topwaste container freely resting on said base, a column fixed to said baseat the rear thereof and extending upwardly therefrom adjacent theexterior rear wall of said container, a cover for said containerpivotally mounted on the upper end of said column, said cover having aclosed position in contact with the upper perimeter of said containerand being pivotable upwardly and rearwardly with respect thereto to anopen position to permit waste to be dropped into said container, saidcontainer being readily removable upwardly, forwardly and laterally fromsaid base when said cover is in said open position, a downwardlydirected curved surface on said cover intermediate the pivotalconnection of said cover to said column and the rear of said container,a treadle operated lever mounted on said base for pivotal movement in avertical plane, one end of said lever extending rearwardly with respectto said container and having an open upwardly directed socket thereon,an upstanding rod having its lower end resting freely in said socket andits upper end in loose engagement with said downwardly directed curvedsurface on said cover, said lever'being pivotable to raise said socketand thereby lift said rod forcefully upwardly against said surface tomove said cover from its closed position to its openposition, and meansfor positively camming the upper portion of said rod rearwardly duringupward movement of said rod whereby said upper end of said rod willfollow the rearward component of movement of said cover and .will remainin contact with said downwardly directed curved surface thereon duringthe opening of said cover. 3. The combination set forth in claim 2,wherein said camming means includes a cam member on said rod and asurface on said column, said cam member engaging said surface during thelifting of said rod and positively directing the upper portion of saidrod rearwardly.

1 4. A step-n type waste receptacle unit comprising, an opensubstantially L-shaped rigid frame including a horizontal base and acolumn extending upwardly from the rear of said base, an open-top wastecontainer freely resting on said base in front of said column, a coverfor said container pivotally mounted on the upper end of said column,said cover having a closed position in contact with the upper perimeterof said container and being pivotable upwardly and rearwardly withrespect thereto to an open position to permit waste to be dropped intosaid container, said container being readily removable upwardly,forwardly and laterally from said base when said cover is in said openposition, a downwardly directed curved surface on said coverintermediate the pivotal connection of said cover to said column and therear of said container, a treadle operated lever mounted on said basefor pivotal movement in a vertical plane, one end of said leverextending rearwardly with respect to said container and having an openupwardly directed socket thereon, an upstanding rod having its lower endresting freely in said socket and its upper end in loose engagement withsaid downwardly directed curved surface on said cover, said lever beingpivotable to raise said socket and thereby lift said rod forcefullyupwardly against said surface to move said cover from its closedposition to its open position, and means for positively camming theupper portion of said rod rearwardly during upward movement of said rodand forwardly during downward movement thereof, whereby said upper endof said rod will follow the rearward and forward components of movementof said cover respectively during the opening and closing of said coverand will be maintained in constant contact with said downwardly directedcurved surface thereon.

5. The combination set forth in claim 4, wherein said camming meansincludes cam members on the forward and rear sides of said rodintermediate its ends and a pair of spaced apart surfaces on said columnwith said rod movably disposed therebetween, said cam members engagingsaid surfaces on said column during movement of said rod to cam said rodforwardly and rearwardly.

6. A step-on type waste receptacle unit comprising, an opensubstantially L-shaped rigid frame including a horizontal base and acolumn extending upwardly from the rear of said base, an open-top wastecontainer freely resting on said base in front of said column, a coverfor said container movably mounted on said column adjacent the upper endthereof, said cover having a closed position in contact with the upperperimeter of said container and an open position permitting waste to bedropped into said container, said container being readily removable up-Wardly, forwardly and laterally from said base when said cover is insaid open position, a pair of spaced apart oppositely inclined slopingsills within said base, a longitudinally extending treadle operatedlever disposed intermediate said sills, a transversely arranged fulcrumon said lever resting freely on said sills and supporting said leverthereon for normal pivotal movement in a substantially vertical path,means cooperating with said lever for opening said cover in response topivotal movement of said lever in said path, said fulcrum being slidableon said sills to permit rotational movement of said lever out of saidvertical path and into a locking position, and means preventingsubstantial vertical movement of said lever when said lever is in saidlocking position, the oppositely inclined slopes of said sills tendingto cause said fulcrum to slide downwardly thereon to bias said leverrotatively away from said locking position and into said vertical path,said slopes of said sills thereby tending to prevent inadvertentmovement of said lever into said locking position and also reducing theforce required to return said lever from said locking position to saidvertical path.

7. A waste receptacle unit comprising, a base, an opentop wastecontainer on said base, a cover for said container movable between openand closed positions with respect thereto, a pair of spaced apartoppositely inclined sloping sills on said base, a longitudinallyextending cover operating lever disposed intermediate said sills, atransversely arranged fulcrum on said lever resting freely on said sillsand supporting said lever thereon for normal pivotal movement in asubstantially vertical path, means cooperating with said lever foropening said cover in response to pivotal movement of said lever in saidpath, said fulcrum being slidable on said sills to permit rotationalmovement of said lever out of said vertical path and into a lockingposition, and means preventing substantial vertical movement of saidlever when said lever is in said locking position, the oppositelyinclined slopes of said sills tending to cause said fulcrum to slidedownwardly thereon to bias said lever rotatively away from said lockingposition and into said vertical path, said slopes of said sills therebytending to prevent inadvertent movement of said lever into said lockingposition and also reducing the force required to return said lever fromsaid locking position to said vertical path.

8. A waste receptacle unit comprising, a base, an opentop wastecontainer on said base, a cover for said container movable between openand closed positions with respect thereto, a pair of spaced apartoppositely inclined sloping sills on said base, a longitudinallyextending cover operating lever disposed intermediate said sills, atransversely arranged fulcrum on said lever resting freely on said sillsand supporting said lever thereon for normal pivotal movement in asubstantially vertical path, a treadle on one end of said lever forpivoting said lever in said path, means cooperating with the other endof said lever for opening said cover when said treadle is depressed,said fulcrum being slidable on said sills to permit rotational movementof said lever out of said vertical path and into a locking positionwherein said treadle is disposed laterally of its normal position, theoppositely inclined slopes of said sills tending to cause said fulcrumto slide downwardly thereon to bias said lever rotatively away from saidlocking position and into said vertical path, said slopes of said sillsthereby tending to prevent inadvertent movement of said lever into saidlocking position and also reducing the force required to return saidlever from said locking position to said vertical path.

9. A step-on type waste receptacle unit comprising, a base, an open-topWaste container freely resting on said base, a hollow column fixed tosaid base at the rear thereof and extending upwardly therefrom adjacentthe exterior rear wall of said container, a cover for said containerpivotally mounted on the upper end of said column, said cover having aclosed position in contact with the upper perimeter of said containerand being pivotable upwardly and rearwardly to an open position topermit waste to be dropped into said container, said container beingreadily removable upwardly forwardly and laterally from said base whensaid cover is in said open position, a downwardly directed curvedsurface on said cover between the pivotal connection of said cover tosaid column and the rear of said container, a pair of spaced apartoppositely inclined sloping sills within said base, a longitudinallyextending treadle operated lever disposed intermediate said sills, atransversely arranged fulcrum on said lever resting freely on said sillsand supporting said lever thereon for normal pivotal movement in asubstantially vertical path, one end of said lever extending rearwardlywith respect to said container and having an open upwardly directedsocket thereon located within said column adjacent the lower endthereof, an upstanding rod within said column, the lower end of said rodresting freely in said socket with its upper end in loose engagementwith said downwardly directed curved surface on said cover, said leverbeing pivotable in said vertical path on said sills to raise said socketand thereby lift said rod forcefully upwardly against said surface onsaid cover to move said cover from its closed position to its openposition, means for positively camming the upper portion of said rodrearwardly during upward movement of said rod and forwardly duringdownward movement thereof to cause the upper end of said rod to followthe rearward and forward components of movement of said cover duringopening and closing thereof whereby said upper end of said rod remainsin contact with said downwardly directed curved surface on said cover,said fulcrum being slidable on said sills to permit rotational movementof said lever out of said vertical path and into a locking position whensaid lever has been pivoted to open said cover, and means preventingsubstantial movement of said lever when said lever is in said lockingposition whereby said cover will be locked in its open position, theoppositely inclined slopes of said sills tending to cause said fulcrumto slide downwardly thereon to bias said lever rotatively away from saidlocking position and into said vertical path, said slopes of said sillsthereby tending to prevent inadvertent movement of said lever into saidlocking position to lock said cover in its open position and alsoreducing the force required to return said lever from said lockingposition to said vertical path to permit closing of said cover.

10. A step-on type waste receptacle unit comprising, a base having anopen-top waste container thereon, a cover for said container, meanspivotally mounting said cover about an axis disposed rearwardly of saidcontainer, said cover having a closed position in contact with the upperperimeter of said container and being pivotable about said axis upwardlyand rearwardly with respect to said container to an open position topermit waste to be dropped into said container, a downwardly directedcurved surface on said cover intermediate said axis and the rear of saidcontainer, a treadle operated lever mounted on said base for pivotalmovement in a vertical plane, one end of said lever extending rearwardlywith respect to said container and having an open upwardly directedsocket thereon, an upstanding rod having its lower end resting freely insaid socket and its upper end in loose engagement with said downwardlydirected curved surface on said cover, said lever being pivotable toraise said socket and thereby lift said rod forcefully upwardly againstsaid surface to move said cover from its closed position to its openposition, and means for positively camming the upper portion of said rodrearwardly during upward movement of said rod whereby said upper end ofsaid rod will follow the rearward component of movement of said coverand will remain in contact with said downwardly directed curved surfacethereon during the opening of said cover.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,450,713 Carey Apr. 3, 1923 1,550,732 May et a1 Aug. 25, 1925,

1,948,413 Carola Feb. 20, 1934 2,460,488 Brunetti Feb. 1, 1949 FOREIGNPATENTS 503,466 Germany July 26, 1930 503,467 Germany July 26, 1930

